Cat-ittude

[cradle]

I have had my cat since I first moved out of my parent's house 9 years ago ... she was 9 mos. old at the time. I moved from apt. to apt., about 3 moves total, and finally settled down in my house 5 years ago. Since then my fiance moved in and we have married. Alley (my cat) does not take well to other people in the house. She doesn't attack them, just hisses at them. She will even wait in the hall right outside the bathroom door waiting for them, just to hiss. She hasn't bit anyone and has never pounced on anyone. She is a very cute cat with us and we can't stand the thought of giving her up. She took to my husband very well. She doesn't cuddle alot, but she knows we are "mommy and daddy". Lately she has become more friendly with us. Sitting on our laps, following us around very closely. I am really enjoying this "new Alley", but should I be concerned that she isn't feeling well?

Also, we are trying to start a family and I am worried how she will take to the baby.

Any thoughts?

[shopaholic]

I am no cat-expert but I have witnessed similar behavior. My mom has a cat at her house (where I lived until 2 years ago) and she can get very territorial. Sometimes even now when its just my mom she is still bad. She will jump on your feet when you come out of the bathroom and bite your ankles. I am not sure if its her way of playing but its annoying. However, she very rarely hisses. I can only count on one hand the # of times she has hissed (we've had her since summer 99).

[fuzzy]

The cat I forced my parents to adopt (he still lives with them) was really quite a vicious little thing for years. He's closing in on his 20th birthday now and is really rather nice and will generally be affecionate. I *think* it was right around his 10th birthday that he stopped with his random acts of violence (:) ) and started to become increasingly affectionate.

I'd be willing to bet that your cat is now becoming more senior and is likely going through a similar attitude change. Unless she starts behaving strangly otherwise (not eating, drinking too much/little, not peeing/pooping) I wouldn't be too concerned.

[cradle]

Good to hear Fuzzy! Thanks for the words of encouragement! I have always wanted a "friendly" cat!!! <fingers crossed>

[trefoil]

The little "angel" in my avatar is nicknamed Hissy McHisserson. We try not to introduce her to people she won't see very often. It's just not worth it. Like yours, she doesn't bite, she just makes sure people know she's in charge. If we do need to introduce a new person to her, we put her in the bedroom until the person comes in and sits down, then let her out. She then comes down and sniffs the person, encouraging them to pet her by rubbing up against their legs (we've already warned the individual that this is just a ploy to get them to try to pet her so she has an excuse to hiss). She might hiss once or twice, but after that, she has asserted her dominance and is okay unless someone moves too quickly (except in the case of two people whom she has decided she can't stand - she hisses whenever she sees them. One of them stared her down when she first met her. Grace hasn't forgiven her yet.). Yeah, she's not high maintenance or anything. :rolleyes: Her sister and littermate is nice as can be to newcomers.

However, Hissy...errr...Grace has really taken to the child of my best friend. She met him when he was an infant and still puts up with his antics now that he is almost two. I really believe that she understands that he is a young part of the species and has more patience with him. Also, since she met him when he was an infant, she knew him before he could crawl or walk. She strongly prefers people to be very still when she first meets them.

[PookiePrincess]

My brother has the most evil cat I've ever seen. He'll hiss at you, swipe at you, and bite you if you touch him or try to pick him up. He doesn't have claws, but he's dangerous! One time he bit me so hard in the hand that I had puncture wounds that were bleeding badly. He's very fickle. He'll come sniff you and if you reach down to pet him, he'll get mad at you.

I wrote all of this to say that my brother and my SIL have 14 month old twins and he never bothers them. If they come near him, he runs away. Even when they were babies, he wanted nothing whatsoever to do with them, and he's a pretty aggressive cat. Hopefully when you have a baby, your cat will keep this better temperament and won't be a problem.

[KaliLily]

My youngest cat, Lily, isn't very good with new people and has only recently become "cuddly" with Dh and I. While she is terribly afraid of toddlers and young children, and thus hides in high places and hisses, she took to our friend's 18 mo old daughter really well last Spring. After 24 hours of "hiding" she came down and sniffed at the baby's head while her diaper was being changed. It gives me hope she'll handle a baby well if/when we have one.

We have started keeping the doors to the spare rooms (aka "future kids' rooms) closed. Primarily, it's to keep our other cat, Kali, from peeing on the carpet (again). :rolleyes: However, I figure it'll also keep them from feeling they've "lost" some of their home once those rooms belong to our babies/kids.

[cradle]

Trefoil, PookiePrincess, & KaliLily ... All helpful! Thank you! I REALLY hope the baby doesn't become an issue. =)

[tupelogirl]

I wouldn't worry about your cat and a baby. You said she took to your husband well so I imagine she would also adjust to a baby or even ignore it in the beginning.
I had a cat for 19 years who was very nice all around but would only hiss and hide from certain visitors. It was as though she had just decided she would hate certain people and love the others. As far as I know there was absolutely no reason for it and funny enough the people who'd visit who did not like cats, she'd usually try to win over.
Maybe your cat is just getting into her more adult phase and is mellowing out a bit?